She’s faced prejudice and harassment in the past, but now comedian Alison Stokes has moved to Liverpool with an ambitious aim.

“I want to be like a transgender Ken Dodd!” she laughs. “He’s a larger-than-life character that people just love coming to see and that’s how I’d like people to think of me.

“I think comedy breaks down the barriers, it gets rid of embarrassment and ignorance, so I want to become the number one trans comedian in Liverpool.”

As character Fanny La Tranny, 37-year-old Alison has created a stand-up act to help promote transgender acceptance.

But she says not everyone has been tolerant during her 13 years living as a woman.

“I used to live in St Helens but me and my disabled mother had to leave two months ago because we were being discriminated against on a daily basis,” she says. “I’d raised the profile of the LGBT community in St Helens but I felt I had to move to Liverpool because it’s a more diverse city.

“I’ve worked here, my mum is from Liverpool originally – her family lived around Breck Road - and we’ve both been much happier since we came here.

“The other reason for the move was to make it on the comedy circuit because there are so many good comedy clubs in this city so that’s what I'm concentrating on.”

Alison says she has felt welcome at last since moving to Anfield, so much so she plans to promote a project called The Friends of Breck Road to support vulnerable people in the area.

“I’m an educational mentor so if I get abuse then I answer back and it doesn’t bother me, but not everyone can stand up for themselves like I can,” she says.

“When I’m not on stage I don’t shout about being trans, I don’t go up to people and say ‘hello, I’m transgender’ because that can bring trouble to your door, but if somebody is curious then I’m open to talk about who I am.

“Since I’ve been here, I haven’t had any trouble though. Sometimes I see people look and I can tell they’re thinking, are you or aren’t you? But nobody’s said a bad word to me, I’ve not come up against any kind of aggression.”

In fact, Alison says it’s been quite the opposite. She’s not only found a charity – the Liverpool-based 4Wings organisation – but a venue to support it. “I chose 4Wings because they help women who have been victims of domestic abuse, women of all races and religions, and what we want to do is stamp out discrimination of any kind.

“They’re not bothered about me being transgender and I think us working together sends out a message.”

Alison and the charity have found an ally in The View function rooms on Everton Road, which is hosting a fundraising comedy night on April 24.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever had a transgender comedian on, but when Alison came to us and told us what she wanted to do and the charity she was doing it for we wanted to try and help in any way we could,” says co-owner Foggy.

“We always welcome people who are fundraising, and in Alison’s case it’s about raising awareness too so we’re looking forward to it.

“We’re open to anything – birthday parties, weddings, civil ceremonies or stand-up nights – so we’ve given her free room hire, a free DJ and compere and we’ve donated an alcohol hamper to raffle.”

Foggy says they’re keen to play a part in tackling prejudice. “Being trans is still a taboo for a lot of people, and they brush it under the carpet, they don’t want to know about it,” he says. “But whether they’re going from male to female, or female to male, they’re still a person and they shouldn’t be treated any differently.”

Alison hopes the charity night, and future events in and around Liverpool, will help others feel the same.

“There are people who wouldn’t ever go to diversity training, but they will go to a comedy show,” she says. “And some will change their minds while I’m doing the show, and actually want to talk to me at the end. So people who might have otherwise avoided me, or the subject, or even abused me, just going to a comedy night changes their whole perspective.”